Serbia rejects EU-brokered Kosovo deal

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia has rejected a European Union-brokered deal for reconciliation with its former province of Kosovo and called for more negotiations with Kosovo Albanian leaders.

The EU has given Serbia until Tuesday to say whether it would relinquish its effective control over northern Kosovo in exchange for the start of Serbia’s EU membership negotiations.

The Serbian government said Monday it rejects the plan because it wants more autonomy for minority Serbs in Kosovo who together with Serbia reject the former province’s 2008 declaration of independence.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after the eighth round of talks between Serbian and Kosovo officials last week in Brussels that she wanted a response from both sides and that the bloc’s mediation was over.